Local
A2
Tuesday, November 22, 2022
TURNING BACK THE PAGES
50 YEARS AGO
from the Democrat-Herald
November 24, 1972
LA GRANDE (UPI) — Bob Quinn, who was listed among
the nation’s top 10 winningest active basketball coaches at
the time of his retirement from Eastern Oregon College, died
Thursday at the age of 74.
25 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
November 24, 1997
Historic Baker City Inc. is bringing back the century-old tradi-
tion of a community Christmas tree at the intersection of Court
Avenue and Main Street.
A 40-foot spruce tree donated by Omar and Garnet Carroll
was removed from their yard Saturday morning and moved to
Court Avenue between Main and Resort streets.
10 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
November 23, 2012
This week’s storms weren’t generous enough with their
snow to allow Anthony Lakes ski area to open on Thanksgiving
weekend.
But things looked promising for a while.
“We had the potential, but the storm didn’t produce as
much snow as we hoped,” said Peter Johnson, general man-
ager for the ski area in the Elkhorn Mountains about 34 miles
northwest of Baker City.
ONE YEAR AGO
from the Baker City Herald
November 23, 2021
Add law enforcement offi cers to the growing list of profes-
sions feeling the brunt of a labor shortage and facing hiring
woes.
Police departments in Baker City, Pendleton and La Grande
have had little luck fi nding applicants for their open positions
recently, and the police chiefs are fl ummoxed about the
reasons why.
“We’ve had zero applicants,” said Ty Duby, Baker City Police
chief.
Duby, who worked for 25 years for Oregon State Police
before joining the Baker City Police in 2019, recalls a time
when positions brought in hundreds of applications for a single
opening, giving police departments a wide variety of potential
applicants to choose from. Those numbers have dwindled
over the past year — and Duby personally has had to actively
pursue an applicant and ask the person to apply for the job.
The Baker City Police Department is not alone in the strug-
gle to fi nd qualifi ed applicants.
“I’ve been with the City of La Grande for 28 years, and 20 to
25 years ago we would see 150 applications for one opening
for a police offi cer position — and that has been trending in
what I feel is a negative direction for a long time,” said La
Grande Police Chief Gary Bell.
Bell’s department is having only slightly better luck hiring,
with nearly 15 qualifi ed applicants vying for two positions open
at the La Grande Police Department, but those application
numbers are still a far cry from their previous numbers. To
make matters more diffi cult, the number of law enforcement
offi cers retiring or resigning has increased, Bell said.
“The last 18 to 24 months, we have seen a lot of our long-
time employees — police offi cers — retire and so we have been
doing more hiring than what maybe we would, or have over the
course of the last 15 to 20 years,” Bell said.
In order to attract lateral transfers — poaching police offi cers
from other regions— Bell created a $6,000 hiring bonus for
certifi ed experienced police offi cers, hoping to draw in offi cers
from across the state. So far, that effort “has not garnered any
certifi ed offi cers,” Bell said.
Lateral transfers are valuable for police departments due to
the amount of training required for new offi cers. It can take up
to nine months to transform a new recruit into an independent
and capable police offi cer, Bell said.
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SENIOR MENUS
Public luncheon at the Senior Center, 2810 Cedar St., from
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; $5 donation (60 and older), $7.50
for those under 60.
CONTACT THE HERALD
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Telephone: 541-523-3673
ISSN-8756-6419
Serving Baker County since 1870
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Opponents of B2H transmission
line voice concerns at hearing
BY ISABELLA CROWLEY
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Opponents
of the proposed Boardman to
Hemingway transmission line
had another opportunity to
speak their minds about the
controversial project.
The hearing on Wednesday,
Nov. 16, at Eastern Oregon Uni-
versity in La Grande, was one
of the early steps in the Oregon
Public Utility Commission’s
quasi-judicial process to either
grant or deny Idaho Power’s
petition for a certificate of pub-
lic necessity. The Boise-based
power company is a major part-
ner in the proposed B2H trans-
mission line.
Public Utility Commission-
ers Mark Thompson and Letha
Tawney traveled to La Grande
for the public hearing. Commis-
sioner Megan Decker attended
virtually.
“We felt like the commission-
ers listened,” Jim Kreider, co-
chair of the Union County-based
Stop B2H Coalition, said.
Around 40 residents filled
seats in the David E. Gilbert
Event Center to listen to the
public comment hearing, and
nearly 20 people shared their
concerns. Many residents spoke
out against the transmission line
and looked to the commission-
ers as a last hope to stop B2H.
Overlapping concerns raised by
residents at the meeting fell into
three categories — issues with
the process, the impact on Or-
egon as a whole and the impact
at the local level.
Residents who had issues
with the process cited the lack
of an updated budget from
Idaho Power on the transmis-
sion line and the failure to in-
clude the alternate route pro-
posed by the Bureau of Land
Management.
Broader concerns include
environmental and ecological
East Oregonian, File
The setting sun silhouettes transmission lines in Boardman Feb. 3, 2022, near the possible future starting
point for the proposed 290-mile Boardman to Hemingway transmission line.
destruction along the trans-
mission line. Individuals also
brought up the possible dam-
age to the Oregon Trail ruts and
the impacts that would have on
tourism.
At a more local level, peo-
ple were concerned with the
potential for wildfires caused
by power lines and high noise
levels emitted by the lines. Res-
idents also voiced safety con-
cerns about trucks using local
roads to access towers if the
transmission line is approved.
Another major local concern
was the impact on Morgan Lake
if that route is used.
Fuji Kreider, a member of the
Stop B2H Coalition, said many
residents felt left out of the pro-
cess and trapped in a cycle of
governmental bodies making
decisions without considering
public input.
“We’re in a vicious cycle,” she
said.
The commissioners were not
able to answer questions at the
hearing — rather their goal was
simply to listen to opinions and
gather information.
“There are things we heard to-
night that we will make sure our
staff looks into,” Thompson said.
The proposed transmission
line would connect a new sta-
tion near Boardman to an ex-
isting substation in southwest
Idaho near Melba. In Septem-
ber, Oregon’s Energy Facility
Siting Council approved a site
certificate for the B2H line. The
permit authorizes construction
of the 290-mile, 500-kilovolt
line across the Eastern Oregon
counties of Morrow, Umatilla,
Union, Baker, and Malheur.
Federal agencies already granted
permission for the line to cross
land they manage.
As part of the petition pro-
cess, Idaho Power must provide
evidence of need and justifica-
tion to construct the line. The
certificate details the purpose
and route of the transmission
line. It also provides a cost esti-
mate and other relevant infor-
mation.
It is up to the Public Utility
Commission to determine the
necessity, safety, practicability
and justification in the public
interest for the proposed trans-
mission line, according to Ore-
gon law.
If granted, the certificate
would demonstrate that the
transmission line is a public use
and necessary for public con-
venience. The certificate would
not condemn any land directly,
but would be used by Idaho
Power in court proceeding to
use land along the path of the
transmission line.
In addition to the application
from Idaho Power, the Public
Utility Commission will con-
sider comments from members
of the public and independent
evidence gathered by commis-
sion staff.
Two sue over sale of Baker building
Baker City Herald
Two people have filed a civil lawsuit
against the former owners of a Baker City
building, claiming the former owners vio-
lated a sales agreement by selling the prop-
erty to someone else.
Anthony Stoner and Garret Koch filed
the suit, in which they are seeking damages
of about $40,000, on Monday, Nov. 14 in
Baker County Circuit Court.
The defendants are Loyd and Elvira Fal-
gout of Kent, Washington. The couple own
Fifth and Madison LLC and are the former
owners of the three-story building at 2330
Fifth St.
The building, the former site of Baker
House, a drug and alcohol treatment facility,
is near St. Elizabeth Towers. The building
was constructed in 1939.
According to the lawsuit, Stoner and
Koch, along with the Falgouts, signed a real
estate sales agreement for the building in
September 2016.
That agreement states that Stoner and
Koch will buy the property for $150,000,
with a $10,000 down payment and monthly
payments of $500 with an interest rate of 7%.
According to the lawsuit, Stoner and
Koch fulfilled their obligations in the agree-
ment, which include paying property taxes
and making monthly payments.
In June 2021, the Falgouts sold the build-
ing to someone else.
Gordon Holman bought the building for
$95,000, according to the Baker County As-
sessor’s Office.
Holman, in an August 2021 interview
with the Baker City Herald, said he planned
to renovate the structure into six condo-
miniums.
According to the lawsuit, the Falgouts
breached the 2016 agreement in “one or
more of the following particulars:
• By repudiating the terms of the agree-
ment.
• By selling the property.
• By acting in bad faith in selling the
property without the consent of the plain-
tiffs.”
As a result, the plaintiffs lost approxi-
mately $40,000, according to the lawsuit,
including payments made and expenses for
maintaining and improving the building.
The specific amount would be deter-
mined at trial, according to the lawsuit.
Stoner and Koch are represented by David
Auxier of Intermountain Law in Baker City.
LUCKY LINES, NOV. 20
WEDNESDAY (Nov. 23): Chili cheese dogs, potato wedges,
mixed vegetables, cottage cheese with fruit, pudding
THURSDAY (Nov. 24): CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING
FRIDAY (Nov. 25): CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING
MONDAY (Nov. 28): Hot beef sandwiches, mashed potatoes
with gravy, mixed vegetables, carrot-raisin salad, fruit cup
TUESDAY (Nov. 29): Herb-baked chicken with gravy, red pota-
toes, peas and carrots, rolls, green salad
WEDNESDAY (Nov. 30): Baked ham, scalloped potatoes, peas
and carrots, green salad, brownies
Publisher
Karrine Brogoitti
Baker City Herald • bakercityherald.com
Published Tuesdays, Thursdays and
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Postmaster: Send address changes to
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Copyright © 2022
SHERMAN COUNTY
Sheriff, group sues to block new gun law
PORTLAND (AP) — An
Oregon gun rights group and a
county sheriff have filed a fed-
eral lawsuit challenging a vot-
er-approved ballot measure that
is one of the strictest gun con-
trol laws in the nation.
The Oregon Firearms Fed-
eration and Sherman County
Sheriff Brad Lohrey filed the
lawsuit Friday, Nov. 18 in U.S.
District Court contending the
measure scheduled to take ef-
fect Dec. 8 is unconstitutional
because it violates the Second
Amendment right to “keep and
bear arms.”
The lawsuit seeks to prevent
the measure from taking effect.
Democratic Gov. Kate Brown
and Democratic Attorney
General Ellen Rosenblum are
named as defendants in the law-
suit.
Oregon voters earlier this
month approved the measure
that requires residents to ob-
tain a permit to purchase a
gun, bans large-capacity mag-
azines over 10 rounds except
in some circumstances and
creates a statewide firearms da-
tabase.
The lawsuit states that many
best-selling handguns and rifles
come standard with magazines
that hold more than 10 rounds.
“Millions of law-abid-
ing Americans own firearms
equipped with magazines ca-
pable of holding more than 10
rounds of ammunition,” the
lawsuit states. “There is noth-
ing unusual or novel about this
technology.”
The ban on large-capacity
magazines would not apply to
current owners, law enforce-
ment or the military.
To qualify for a permit un-
der the measure, an applicant
would need to complete an ap-
proved, in-person firearm safety
course, pay a fee, provide per-
sonal information, submit to
fingerprinting and photograph-
ing and pass a federal criminal
background check. The permits
would be processed by local
police chiefs, county sheriffs or
their designees.
Proponents of the measure
say it would reduce suicides
— which account for 82% of
gun deaths in the state — mass
shootings and other gun vio-
lence.
Opponents, including the
left-wing Socialist Rifle Associ-
ation, say it would infringe on
constitutionally protected rights
and could reduce gun access
among marginalized commu-
nities and people of color if law
enforcement agencies are the
arbiters of the permitting pro-
cess. They also say permitting
fees and the cost of the firearms
course could also be barriers to
access.
November 26th & 27th
$7.00
2600 East St., Baker City
Reservations: Ray (541.519.7482) or email: traderrays00@gmail.com
News of Record
POLICE LOG
Baker City Police
Arrests, citations
FAILURE TO APPEAR (Union County
Circuit Court warrant): Megan
Rebecca Beam, 35, Baker City, 1:57 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 19 in the 500 block of
Campbell Street; cited and released.
“You’ll love the work we do. I guarantee it.” - JR
225 H Street • East of I-84 • 541-523-3200 • grumpysrepair.com